It was sheer frustration with the US health insurance world that turned Shielvonda Haith into an entrepreneur.
She had a good job with benefits. Her insurance came from a major payor in the market. And even so, she had to pay $7,000 out of pocket in medical bills for her daughter. And shortly after she had to pay extra during her pregnancy and delivery of her son. Those additional fees added up quickly, and Haith – like millions of Americans – was left to pick up the pieces.
“The system is really failing the ordinary, regular, everyday American,” Haith said.
“The frustration was two parts. First, not knowing how much everything was going to cost meant I couldn’t even financially plan for myself appropriately. Second, not having access to alternative payment options meant that I was forced to pay the provider’s fees for my daughter and while I didn’t learn the total costs until the day of the service, I was required to pay it myself without any type of financial support or assistance option,” she told Hypepotamus. “What was missing in the system that day was a clear path to understanding my costs as the patient for services I was going to have to schedule.”
That drove her to found BrightPay Health three years ago.
Haith describes BrightPay as “the app that helps freelancers, gig workers, small business owners, and contractors get the healthcare they need without the use of traditional health insurance plans.”
The app connects users with primary care, therapy, and specialty services on a monthly basis.
“It’s almost like investing in a monthly gym membership but for your everyday healthcare needs,” she added.
Haith said that this model is specifically helpful for business owners and entrepreneurs. Most people in these groups struggle to get access to affordable, transparent health insurance early on.
Building HealthTech in the Southeast
Haith, a graduate of Duke University, Winston-Salem State University, and Emory Goizueta Business School, launched BrightPay in Atlanta. But she moved the startup to Birmingham to tap into the city’s growing HealthTech and BioTech infrastructure.
The team was accepted into Prosper HealthTech Accelerator, powered by gener8tor, which runs out of the Magic City.
Beyond the financial investment, Haith said that BrightPay has benefited from the accelerator’s hands-on approach.
“Anytime I have a need — whether it’s to help with raising capital or customer feedback — the generat8r team has been a consistent and reliable resource for us. After 8 months in Birmingham, we continue to connect and engage with the PHTA team almost weekly. BrightPay is reimagining how we foster access to care with more price transparency. The Prosper Health Tech Accelerator has been the perfect space to stand up our marketplace in the heart of the Deep South region even months after completing the program,” she added.
Haith recognizes that there are some specific disadvantages that come with building a healthcare-based startup in the Southeast. But she said building BrightPay in the region is “the opportunity to do something impactful and grow in the process.
“We know that communities in the South are much more affected by healthcare disparities. They lack access to care and alternative payment models in comparison to other regions. So, for us, the challenge of building a healthcare start-up in the South exists but that is the very reason why we are here for it.”
While she looks to grow the platform nationally to survive providers and patients, she sees Birmingham remaining as the startup’s flagship location.
Waving A Magic Wand
Haith is tackling the insurance and healthcare crisis head on. So we asked her what about the US system she would most like to see changed.
Her answer: There should be more focus on prevention.
“So many of us between 35-50 do not know our numbers or even risk factors for conditions based on family history. This is leading to later stage cancer diagnosis and chronic conditions earlier in life. And it is just because we simply didn’t know sooner how much we were at risk. So if I could change anything it would be to make prevention and regular primary care the center of our health. We are so quick to grab a gym membership to bring down our weight or eat better because we know it’s the right thing to do, but without understanding our blood pressure numbers or without getting regular cholesterol readings how do we even know what to do or where to start?” she added.
“It costs the everyday American money to see their doctor and get a regular exam, often a few hundred dollars that we may not even have to spend at the time. So, let’s make it easier for people to know what they need to do each year to stay informed, make the cost clear and the services affordable, and create paths to getting the access and the needed follow-up available.”
What It Takes To Scale BrightPay
BrightPay raised its first bit of pre-seed venture capital in 2021, according to Crunchbase.
“Fundraising is an absolute learned skill, honestly. As a first-time founder and a founder of color, it has been a very difficult process,” Haith said. She struggled to get investors to see her as the right person with the right credentials to grow the company.
Now in 2024, Haith is looking to connect with associations, organizations, and other groups that work with a lot of freelancers to scale the company.
“If you are a founder or small business owner who has been thinking about a cool perk they can offer as they attract new talent, we’d also love to connect and show you how our app can help,” she added.
